St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-01-31
WOMEN WHO CAN FENCE
Why They Use the Foils and How
They Do 1t.
The Foil an Effective Aid to Beauty
and Health.

.Ah. madam, you will never make a
| fencer until you abandon those abominable
! heels" So saying the polite fencng-mas-
! ter laid aside his mask and pointed his foil,
| half scornfully, half sadly, at the little
| blocks which projected from a point near
! the middle of the soles of his pupils Slip
pers. and which had just tripped her up in
! a lunge. Even in her humilating position
! for she had completely lost her balance
the little actress whose fencing lesson was
thus unseasonaby interrupted presented
an -unrum;nin'y pleasing picture. ,ier
r::eeb ~as flashed aud htr Z, e. We're ID. ,E1t
:, It'll lie eXi.;f ara'i0ll nj the exercise: lit,
Lin: .ca If lie 'aSy iun&a ana lie di,.; r..its
.,-:.i'i. had SGT a few iCck. al 4t'ks.-il air
free. ANA the close nrI;l., cosiuli;e d spa ed
IA iguIe every line o. wncb .oiG i heath
ana harmonious muscular developnlpn,.
The costume was certainty one which
, would have gained the Young woman APP
planse on the stage. 1t cons Sled OF White
flannel jacket double-breasted and padded
across the chest to deaden the force of her
! aSSaliantS thruStS. A short skirt. with blue
and white stripes. reaching just to the knees
| allowed the fullest freedom of movement.
| a pair Of silk stockings. gloves with long
! gauntlets that protected the wrists, and the
| slippers with the offending heels completed
! the costume.
AS may be supposed the pupil did not
have much difficulty in placating the Of
I Tended master and the lesson went on. But
! in future the high heels were discarded and
in their place came slippers without any
heels at all. winch are the only proper foot
gear for either man or woman while fenc-
ing. Soon the master was able to say with
tba
foil as naturally as if it were needle.
There are not many of my male pupils
against whom would not match her. if
| she only had their strength. It's pity
that more women don't fence. |
! like to teach them. Their movements
are naturally more graceful than
those of men, and it is easier to train them
to execute thrusts with delcacy, but when
it comes to an actual bout with the fois
they lose their heads. Goodness and judy
ment are the essential characteristics OF a
good swOrdsman. and my experience in
! teaching women is that these are qualities
winch women do not possess Ill any high
degree"
The number OF women who handle the
f0ils Is larger than is generally supposed.
! Even in New York, where fencing has be-
come popular amusement only within the
last few years. fencing masters find plenty
| OF female pupils. though these are generally
actresses. Actresses are neutrality-suspicious.
Justly-with taking more care of their
beauty than any other class OF women.
, Now, women who are really careful of their
beauty should not neglect their health. and
no exercise is more healthfdi than fencing
1t makes the carriage erect and graceful: it
gives SuppieneSs and elasticity to the mus
Giles; it has the eXhilaration that makes ex-
ercise palatable-in fact if q woman prizes
| clear skin and a wel-rounded figure a
foil and mask will prove her most effective
aids; and this the young women of the
stage have not been slow to discover.
Then again it not infrequently happens
that an actress is assigned to some part that
requires her to make display of swords
manship on the stage. Then she goes to a
fencing master. and after few lessons she
is able to make graceful exhibition cut of
" bat would otherwise have been bungling
ant uncouth scene.
In Continental Europe the women are
more fully awake to the advantages of
fencing than they are in this country. The
empress of Austria, whose daring horse
manship, love for dogs and general sport
ing proclivitieS are so well known. adds an
admirable proficiency with the foils to her
other accomplishments. All the fencus
who are by no means restricted to the
actresses. Young women of the highest
classes in society fence as regularly as they
ride or dance. In fact, if it were not for
fencing lesson in the morning many of them
would feel less inclination to dance in the
evening.
No actual duel between women is on
record. Notwithstanding the notorious paint
ing of AN Affair of Honor" which orIa
mented the Paris salon couple of years
ago. Nevertheless, no one who knows the
vagarieS in which the women of the French
capital sometimes indulge would be sur
prsed to read of a sanguinary encounter
between pair of them at Vincennes OF III
the forest OF st. German.
II remember when | was a young pro-
vost in one of the big fencing schools in
Paris" said the same teacher quoted be-
fore, what a sensation it used 10 cause
when the hour for the ladies' lessons came.
All the men except the master and myse
were put out, but now they did beg to be
allowed to stay! But the master was mex
orable. He was an old soldier and be-
lieved in discipline. But they used to hang
about the doors and look through the key
holes. One young fellow hid in a closet
once, but he was found out and elected in
great disgrace"
Regis Senac, the genial fencing master of
the New York Athletic club, said the other
day that he never had 50 many applications
from women who wanted to take lessons d.
he has lad since Mrs. LangtrY became his
pupil. NJ Senac is not her first master: sIlt
has taken lessons in London, and is now
more expert in the use of the foil than d
woman often becomes. The writer was
allowed to be present at one of her lessons
not long ago. Nj. Senac comes TO her houst.
in West TwentyThird street every morning
while she is in town. He is due at 10
o'clock. land l." said Mrs. Langtry
often don't rise until he is announced: tol
you can imagine that sometimes it IS
struggle to get no for lesson, after havi e
worked hard the evening before But tiid
l am the better all day for the exercise: so |
summon up my courage and tumble into III,
costume
Mrs, Langtry's costume consists OF a
cloSe-htting WaiStcOat of white buckSk
large baggy trousers of white flannel that
descend to the knee, and white stockings
She is too experienced a Swordswoman Ia
think of induiging in any extravagances in
the way OF heels. She wears buckskin
gloves but if her master were not al eX
tremely careful man she would be obliged
to wear heavily padded glove. at least on
her right hand, for one sometimes gets
rap with the foil over the knuckles thai
makes the whole arm tingle
The first half of the lesson was Just over
when the writer was admitted the other
morning. Mrs Langtry had thrown wrap
over her shoulders as protection after the
heat of exercise, while Senac was pacing the
floor in all the glory of black velvet cos
tune. After few minutes of rest work
was resumed, and the famous beauty
rubbed the resin on her soIes, pat on her
IL ord fnIl into ri,